State
College,
PA—
The
St. Louis Cardinals today announced their 2006 minor league coaching assignments
earlier today, and the State College Spikes will be piloted by a coaching staff
with nearly 30 years of Major League playing and coaching experience during
their inaugural season. Mark
DeJohn will manage the Spikes and will be joined on the bench by pitching
coach Sid Monge, hitting coach Steve Balboni and bench coach
Mike Shildt.
DeJohn,
52-years
old, begins his second season as a manager in the New York-Penn League, after
guiding the New Jersey Cardinals to a 37-39 record and a fourth place finish in
the McNamara Division during the 2005 season. DeJohn spent the three
previous seasons managing the Cardinals’ Double-A franchise – two years with the
Tennessee Smokies (Southern League) and one year with the New Haven Ravens
(Eastern League). Prior to
beginning his managerial career, DeJohn served as a coach on Tony LaRussa’s
staff in Saint Louis
from 1996-2001.
DeJohn’s
playing career began in 1971 when he was drafted by the New York Mets in the
23rd round of the June draft, out of Woodrow
Wilson High School in Middletown, CT.
He played in the Mets system for seven seasons, including a stop in the
New York-Penn League with the Batavia Clippers. At the age of 18, DeJohn hit .205 with his first career
home run and 10 RBI in 69 games for the Mets’ Single-A Affiliate. DeJohn signed with the Detroit Tigers in
1978 and reached the major leagues with the club in 1982. Mark appeared in 24 games, serving
mainly as a back-up for the classic double-play combination of Lou Whitaker and
Alan Trammell.
Mark
made the transition to coach for the 1983 season, serving as a minor league
instructor for the Tigers. DeJohn
briefly moved to the Kansas City Royals organization in 1985 as a coach for
their Eugene
affiliate, and later that season landed his first managerial job with the
Tigers’ affiliate in Birmingham,
before re-joining the Cardinals’ organization in 1986 as manager of the Savannah
Cardinals. He spent two seasons in
Savannah before moving on to the Springfield Cardinals of the Midwest League in
1988, and then to Johnson City of the Appalachian League for two seasons. DeJohn then managed the Tigers Eastern
League affiliate in London,
Ontario
in 1992 before returning to the Cardinals organization in 1993 as the minor
league field coordinator.
Sid
Monge
enters his seventh year with the St. Louis Cardinals organization, and his
fourth consecutive season in the New York-Penn League. Monge spent the 2002 season with
Potomac
(Carolina League), 2001 with Johnson
City
(Appalachian League) and 2000 with Peoria
(Midwest League). The former
big-league lefthander also worked in the San Diego Padres system from 1997-1999
and with the Detroit Tigers from 1992-1996.
Monge
was 49-40 with a 3.53 ERA during his 10-year career in the Major Leagues. He played with the Angels (1975-77),
Indians (1977-1981), Phillies (1982-1983), and Tigers (1984). Monge was selected to the 1979 All-Star
Game as a member of the American League squad, and went on to have his best
season as a pro, posting a 12-10 record with 108 strikeouts and a 2.40 ERA in 76
games. Monge, who is 54-years
old, was voted into the Mexican
Baseball Hall-of-Fame in 1983.
Steve
Balboni
enters his fifth season with the Cardinals organization, after spending the last
four seasons as a hitting instructor.
He has spent the last four seasons working with Mark DeJohn in
New
Jersey
(2005), Tennessee
(2004,2003) and New
Haven
(2002). Balboni spent the 2001
season as the manager of the New York-Penn League’s Vermont Expos leading them
to a 28-47 record.
He
became known as “Bye Bye” Balboni during his 11-year major league career with
the Yankees, Kansas
City,
Seattle
and Texas,
because of his powerful swing. From
1984 – 1988, Balboni hit at least 21 home runs, including the 1985 season in
which he hit 36 home runs with 88 RBI to help lead the Royals to a World Series
victory. The 49 year-old retired in
1993 with 181 home runs and 495 RBI in 960 games. Balboni was selected in the 2nd round of the 1978 draft by the New York
Yankees out of Eckerd
College
in Saint
Petersburg,
FL.
Mike
Shildt enters
his third season with the Cardinals organization, and will serve as a bench
coach for the Spikes. Shildt worked
part time in 2005 with the New Jersey Cardinals in the same capacity, but
focused mainly on his scouting duties for the Cardinals. Prior to joining the Cardinals
organization, Shildt coached high school baseball in
North Carolina
before moving on to be an assistant coach at UNC-Charlotte.
In
addition, Manubu “Boo” Kuwazuru will join the Spikes staff as the
athletic trainer. The 2006 season
will be Boo’s third season with the Cardinals and his third season in the
NYPL. Prior to joining the St.
Louis Cardinals, Kuwazuru worked for the University
of Nebraska
and the New York Jets. Boo received
his masters from the University
of Nebraska-Omaha
in 2003.
The
new coaching staff will make their debut in June, when the Spikes will begin
play as a member of the Short-Season Class-A, New York-Penn League, pending
approval from the NYPL and Minor League Baseball, and review by the Baseball
Office of the Commissioner. Season tickets for the inaugural season are on sale
now and can be purchased over the phone by calling (814) 272-1711, or in person by
visiting the Spikes front offices located at
204
E. Calder Way, Suite 210
in downtown State
College.
The
Spikes are owned and operated by Curve Baseball LP, the same group that operates
the successful Altoona Curve franchise in the Double-A Eastern League. Because
of the proximity between Altoona
and State
College,
the two clubs will feature a unique, integrated front office staff structure by
which each member of the Curve Baseball LP front office will operate both
franchises under the continued leadership of President and Managing Partner
Chuck Greenberg and Curve General Manager Todd Parnell. Earlier this year, Rick
Janac, who spent the previous four seasons as the Curve’s Assistant General
Manager, was named the GM of the new State
College
franchise.
For
additional Spikes news and information, and to order brand-new team merchandise,
visit www.statecollegespikes.com
or call the Spikes offices at (814) 272-1711.
The
Dish on DeJohn
Age:
52,
born: September
18, 1953
Family:
Daughter:
Stephanie , Son: Timothy
Drafted:
23rd
round, New York Mets, 1971
Hometown:
Middletown,
CT
Resides:
New
Britain,
CT
School:
Woodrow
Wilson HS (Middletown,
CT)
Managerial
Experience: 11
seasons - Birmingham (‘85), Savannah (‘86,’87), Springfield (‘88), Johnson
City(‘89,’90), London (‘92), New Haven (‘01), Tennessee (‘02,’03), New Jersey
(‘04)
MLB
Career:
1 season - Detroit
(1982) - 24 games, .190 (4-21), one run scored, two doubles, one
RBI
Career
in Minors:
11 seasons - Marion (R), Batavia (A), Pompano Beach (A), Victoria (AA),
Tidewater (AAA), Evansville (AAA)